The Electrical Resistance and its Temperature Coefficient

Resistivity

See following equation

t  l
Rt 
q

Rt =Resistance in  at Temperature t

l =Length in m
q =Cross sectional area in mm2

t =Resistivity in   mm 2  m1 at Temperature t

The electric resistance of a conductor at temperature t is proportional to its length and
inversely proportional to its cross-sectional area only when the whole test length has
constant cross section.

In order to calculate
q
t  Rt 
l
Rt , q and l are determined. If q =1mm2 and l =1m, then one calculates the

resistivity.
The practical determination of the resistivity can be difficult, because determination
of the cross-sectional area of wires with non-circular cross-section or very thin wires
is difficult. In such cases, the cross-sectional area is determined on the basis of weight
and length.
The resistivity of a wire can be then determined by following equation:
Rt  g 1
t  
 l2

Rt =Resistance in  at Temperature t

t =Resistivity in   mm 2  m1 at Temperature t

g=Weight in g
 =Density in  /cm3
l =Length in m

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Resistance per Meter
The resistance per meter of a conductor is determined by the quotient of its resistivity
and cross-sectional values.

Resistivity (  mm 2  m 1 )
Resistance per Meter =    m 1
Cross  sec tionalarea (mm ) 2

The Temperature Coefficient (  ) of Resistivity

Metals and their alloys exhibit a dependence of the resistivity on temperature. In
general the resistivity increases with temperature, dependence of resistivity can be
expressed by equation:
Rt  Ro [1   (t  to )]

This equation applies only if resistance and temperature expose a linear relationship in
the test temperature range from t o to t. for most alloys and metals this is not the case,
especially as regards large temperature intervals. In order to deliver an exact
description of the temperature dependence of the resistivity, complicated equations
are required:
Rt  Ro
 [ K 1 ]
Ro (t  to )

When experimentally determining the temperature coefficient as well as during

communication between supplier and customer two points must be observed:

1, As already mentioned, the temperature dependence of the resistivity in general does

not show a linear, but a curved form. This applies particularly to certain resistance

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 alloys and is the reason why differing temperature coefficients result from the
calculations, because they depend on the part of the curve which corresponds to a
certain t (see figure above).

2, due to the fact that the temperature dependent resistance variation is referred to the
resistance value R o when defining the temperature coefficient values of R o , even if
the temperature intervals chosen are of equal width. This means that together with the
value of the temperature coefficient the temperature interval from ℃ to ℃ must
always be quoted. Comparison of test results is possible only if the test conditions are
the same.

In some alloys the temperature coefficient can be controlled by combining certain

alloy components. It can be achieve negative values or values around 0 between room
temperature and appr. 100℃.

Temperature Coefficient for Resistance Alloys (Temperature-Resistance Factor)

Grade 20℃ 100℃ 200℃ 300℃ 400℃ 500℃ 600℃ 700℃ 800℃ 900℃ 1000℃ 1100℃ 1200℃
Ni80Cr20 1.000 1.006 1.012 1.018 1.025 1.026 1.018 1.010 1.008 1.010 1.014 1.021 1.025
Ni70Cr30 1.000 1.007 1.016 1.028 1.038 1.044 1.036 1.030 1.028 1.029 1.033 1.037 1.043
Ni60Cr15 1.000 1.011 1.024 1.038 1.052 1.064 1.069 1.073 1.078 1.088 1.095 1.109 -
Ni35Cr20 1.000 1.029 1.061 1.090 1.115 1.139 1.157 1.173 1.188 1.208 1.219 1.228 -
Ni30Cr20 1.000 1.023 1.052 1.079 1.103 1.125 1.141 1.158 1.173 1.187 1.201 1.214 1.226
Cr25Al5 1.000 1.002 1.005 1.008 1.013 1.021 1.030 1.038 1.040 1.042 1.044 1.046 1.047
Cr23Al5 1.000 1.002 1.007 1.014 1.024 1.036 1.056 1.064 1.070 1.074 1.078 1.081 1.084
Cr20Al4 1.000 1.011 1.025 1.042 1.061 1.085 1.120 1.142 1.154 1.164 1.172 1.180 1.186

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